APPENDIX –I

QUESTIONNAIRES

A) Demographic Details

Respondent Information: Thank you for your valuable time. The data that is being

collected will be used to design and implement supports for faculty, staff, and students.

All responses are anonymous and will be held in strict confidence.

a. Gender

Female Male

b. Age

25-35 36-45 46-55 46-55 55+

c. Academic rank

Highest level of formal education completed

Bachelors

Masters

Doctoral Degree

d. Teaching experience with students having learning disability

Excellent Very Good Good Fair Rarely

e. Frequency of contact with students having learning disability

Great deal Moderate amount Occasionally Rarely

B) Faculty Survey on Learning Disability

Survey Directions: Please rate the following items to the best of your ability. If you feel

that you have insufficient information to make a choice, mark “DK= Don’t Know.”

Response Format

1 = Strongly Disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neutral, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly Agree,

DK = Don’t Know

1. I am familiar with UAE Federal Law on 1 2 3 4 5 DK

Rights of Disabled Persons 29/2006 as it

applies to students with LD in college.

2. I am familiar with the college Special Needs 1 2 3 4 5 DK

Policy LP217 as it applies to student with LD

in college.

3 I know what the term “learning disability” 1 2 3 4 5 DK

means.

4. I believe that students with learning disabilities 1 2 3 4 5 DK

can be successful at the college level.

5. Students with learning disabilities are reluctant 1 2 3 4 5 DK

to disclose their disability to me.

6. I would like more information about the needs 1 2 3 4 5 DK

of students with learning disabilities at this

College
7. I am sensitive to the needs of students with 1 2 3 4 5 DK

learning disabilities in this college.

8. Students with learning disabilities are able to 1 2 3 4 5 DK

compete academically at the college level.

9. Students with learning disabilities attend 1 2 3 4 5 DK

postsecondary schools at rates proportionate to

the rates of postsecondary attendance among

students who do not have disabilities.

10. College admission requirements are modified 1 2 3 4 5 DK

for students who have indicated that they have

a learning disability.

11. I think it would be appropriate to allow a 1 2 3 4 5 DK

student with a verified learning disability to

substitute an alternative course for a required

course if the substitution did not dramatically

alter the program requirements.

12. I am willing to spend extra time meeting with 1 2 3 4 5 DK

students with verified learning disabilities to

provide them with additional assistance as

needed.

13. I believe that I make appropriate individual 1 2 3 4 5 DK

accommodations for students who have
disclosed their learning disability to me if
needed.
14. I am familiar with the campus resources 1 2 3 4 5 DK

offered for students with LD at this college.

15. I am familiar with the counselor/s and student 1 2 3 4 5 DK

services office at this college.

16. Students with learning disabilities will not 1 2 3 4 5 DK

receive any support services unless they

disclose their disability with documentation.

17. I would like more information about referral 1 2 3 4 5 DK

procedures for students with learning

disabilities at this college.

18. When students with learning disabilities are 1 2 3 4 5 DK

having difficulties, I am uncertain about where

I can find additional support at this college.

19. Making adequate accommodations for students 1 2 3 4 5 DK

with verified learning disabilities in my

position is unrealistic given time constraints

and other job demands.

20. Currently, in my role, I do not have sufficient 1 2 3 4 5 DK

knowledge to make adequate accommodations

for students with learning disabilities.

21. I receive adequate support from my 1 2 3 4 5 DK

department/college in working with students
who have verified learning disabilities.
22. I would be interested in attending staff 1 2 3 4 5 DK
 development sessions related to the needs of

students with learning disabilities.

23. All faculty members should receive an 1 2 3 4 5 DK

orientation on the needs of students with LD.

24. I would be interested in attending a panel 1 2 3 4 5 DK

presentation where students with LD share

personal information about their LD and their

experiences in college.

25. The college has an easily accessible collection 1 2 3 4 5 DK

of reference materials about students with LD.

26. Funding should be available for key staff and 1 2 3 4 5 DK

administrators to attend workshop

/conferences on LD.

27. When students have to complete paper work or 1 2 3 4 5 DK

forms for my office, I invite every student to

be sure to request assistance if needed.

28. I would be prepared to read paperwork or 1 2 3 4 5 DK

forms aloud and explain them, if requested.

29. I would be prepared to make a tape recording 1 2 3 4 5 DK

with an oral version of the paperwork or

forms.

30 If I were working with a student who had 1 2 3 4 5 DK

disclosed their LD to me, I would be willing to

 remind them more than once about their

scheduled appointment.

31. If a student frequently missed appointments or 1 2 3 4 5 DK

was very late I would be frustrated and not be

willing to reschedule.

32. I am willing to be an advocate for a student 1 2 3 4 5 DK

with LD and help them navigate the various

processes and procedures to secure financial

aid, library services etc.

33. I am willing to be an advocate for a student 1 2 3 4 5 DK

with LD and help them secure needed

accommodations.

34. I am willing to be an advocate for a student 1 2 3 4 5 DK

with LD and help them solve problems they

may encounter while teaching, learning etc.

C) Survey Instrument of Teacher Attitudes towards Disability

Response Format

Please rate the following questions

1=strongly agree, 2=agree, 3= undecided, 4=disagree, and 5=strongly disagree

S No Item 1 2 3 4 5

I respect students with learning disabilities as

1 individuals with differences as I respect all students in

my classroom.

I believe all students are capable to learn in inclusive

2
setting.

3 I am aware of the individual capabilities of students.

4 I believe that I can employ classroom management.

I expect the best from all students in the classroom and

5
I am aware of their capabilities.

Students with learning disabilities should be excluded

6
from mainstream classes as they disrupt other students

I think it is impossible to try and accommodate too

7
many differences in one classroom.

I am comfortable communicating with the counselor

8
and student services team.

I help students to find appropriate avenues to express

9
their feelings.
10 Professional training is necessary to teach effectively.

No sufficient equipment’s to facilitate learning for

11
students with learning disabilities.

12 Most colleges use education corners.

I think you need to be a special kind of a teacher to

13
teach students with learning disabilities.

Education has a responsibility to look after the interest

14
of students with learning disabilities.

Most colleges do not have services to support students

15
with learning disabilities.

Most colleges are not prepared to include students

16
with learning disabilities.

There is a gap between theory and practice regarding

17
learning disability in higher education.

18 The period of training is too limited.

I would prefer to teach in special school if I have to

19 teach LD Students because it has more facilities than

regular colleges.

It is necessary to make modifications in the college to

20 meet the needs of each student with learning

disabilities.
D) Interaction of Disabled Persons Scale

Here is a list of statements that some people have said describe how they feel

when they have contact with a person with a disability. Of course, how we respond to

people depends on how we know them as individuals. However we would like to know

how you feel in general when you meet a person with a disability. Please read each

statement carefully and decide how much it describes how you feel.

Response Format

Please place one tick next to the question under the column that describes how you feel.

1. I disagree very much

2. I disagree somewhat

3. I disagree a little

4. I agree a little

5. I agree somewhat

6. I agree very much

1 It is rewarding when I am able to help. 1 2 3 4 5 6

2 It hurts me when they want to do something and can’t.

3 I feel frustrated because I don’t know how to help.

4 Contact with a person with a disability reminds me of

my own vulnerability.

5 I wonder how I would feel if I had this disability.

6 I feel ignorant about people with disabilities.

7 I am grateful that I do not have such a burden.

8 I try to act normally and ignore the disability .

9 I feel uncomfortable and find it hard to relax.

10 I am aware of the problems that people with

disabilities face.

11 I can’t help staring at them.

12 I feel unsure because I don’t know how to behave.

13 I admire their ability to cope.

14 I don’t pity them.

15 After frequent contact, I find I just notice the person

not the disability.

16 I feel overwhelmed with discomfort about my lack of

disability.

17 I am afraid to look at the person straight in the face.

18 I tend to make contacts only brief and finish them as

quickly as possible.

19 I feel better with people with disabilities after I have

discussed their disability with them.

20 I dread the thought that I could eventually end up like

them.
 APPENDIX – II

PHOTOS OF THE TRAINING PROGRAM

Psychological skills training at Dubai College

Psychological skills training at Dubai College

Knowledge of LD training at Abu Dhabi Colleges

Knowledge of LD training at Abu Dhabi College

Psychological skills training at Sharjah College

Group on positive attitudes at Sharjah College

 Knowledge of LD training at Al Ain College

Group activity on building empathy at Al Ain College

 APPENDIX – III

THE TRAINING PROGRAM

The training program was intended to provide a comprehensive understanding on

LD from definition, types, characteristics, how to identify LD in classrooms to services

provision. It also encompassed psychological skill training to improve the attitudes,

perceptions, beliefs and interactions of faculty towards students with LD, which involved

the cognitive, emotional and behavioral aspects in dealing with students having LD.

The training program was implemented for a period of 6 months in various

colleges. The training program was divided into 2 distinct parts. Part 1 included training

on knowledge of LD only and the part 2 included training on psychological skills in

addition to knowledge of LD.

Part 1 of the training pertaining to the knowledge of LD consisted of 2 sessions of

5 hours each conducted over a period of 2 days. Part 2 of training pertaining to the

psychological skills consisted of 2 sessions of 5 hours each conducted over a period of 2

days.

Experimental group A was imparted training only on part 1 which included

training on the knowledge of LD. Experimental group B was imparted training on both

part 1 & part 2, thereby receiving training on both knowledge of LD and psychological

skills.

Hence experimental group A received training for a period of 2 days and the

experimental group B received training for a period of 4 days.

 Each session was carefully constructed so that the training and activities covered

all dimensions of LD training. Every session was timed. Handbook, brochures, case

studies, videos and faculty exchange of information and experience was provided.

Faculty members met to discuss students’ behavior during the course of the

training program.

Blue Print of the Training Program;

The training program has been customized to meet the needs of the faculty at the

higher educational set up. Although professional development for teachers is widely made

available at the colleges in the UAE much of it does not involve transmission of evidence

based practices in the field of special education needs and LD.

Data collection timeline: September 2012 – February 2013 (a period of six months)

Colleges participated in the Study:

 Dubai campus

 Al Ain campus

 Sharjah campus

 Abu Dhabi campus

Since the professional developmental sessions were conducted in the respective

campuses, logistically the researcher had to travel to different emirates to conduct the

study.
Blue print of the training program

DAY – 1 1) Introduction to LD
a) Sample definitions. 5 hours
Knowledge of LD b) Types of LD.
2) Legislations, knowledge of procedures and service
coordination.
3) How to identify LD?
4) Characteristics of LD.
5) Knowledge of resources.
6) Teaching strategies.
DAY-2 1) Willingness to provide accommodations
2) Willingness to undertake training 5 hours
Knowledge of LD 3) Willingness to advocate for students with LD.
4) Faculty preparedness.
5) Checklists:
f. Handwriting evaluation scale .
g. Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Teacher Rating
Scale (ADTRS).
h. Dyslexia checklist.
i. Scotopic sensitivity checklist.
j. Challenging behavior checklist.
Day -3 1) General beliefs and attitudes.
2) Importance of positive attitudes. 5 hours
Psychological skill 3) Building positive attitudes.
training 4) Feeling comfortable with students having LD.
DAY -4 1) Building empathy.
2) Vulnerability or Fear of disability.
Psychological skill 3) Perceived level of information. 5 hours
training 4) Coping.
5) Conclusion.
Dimensions of the training program.

Endorsing the evidence that the training program should encompass knowledge on

LD, willingness to provide support accommodations, attitudes and interaction the present

study stressed the significance of the four spheres:

Knowledge Willingness Attitudes Interaction

Legislations and To provide General beliefs and Empathy building
Service accommodations attitudes
Coordination
LD and types To advocate for Positive attitudes and Coping / succumbing
students with LD. importance of positive
attitudes
Characteristics Building positive Vulnerability
and identifying attitudes
LD.
Teaching To undertake training Fear of disability
strategies and teacher
preparation
Professional Knowledge of Feeling comfortable
development services and resources with students having
training LD
Day -1: Outline of the training on knowledge of LD

This part of the training program was developed to provide the faculty members

with the knowledge, awareness and the skills to identify LD in classroom and provide

support through teaching strategies and accommodation provision.

1. Introduction to LD

The participants were provided with the introduction to special needs in higher

education, the legislations and services provision. The specialist then moved on to what

LD are, the definition, the various types of LD and how LD can affect students while

pursuing higher education.

Objectives: Create knowledge and awareness on what LD is, the types of LD

students can have in colleges and how it affects the students in different aspects of life

Procedure: The training focused on the various definitions that help

understanding LD in the context of higher education. Particular emphasis was given to

second language learners as Arabic is the primary language and English is the second

language for most students who are admitted in colleges in the UAE.

LD such as Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyspraxia and Dyscalculia emerged as the most

common types of LD prevalent among college students. At the end of the session the

specialist discussed how to distinguish second language learners from students who have

LD.

Time taken: The above activity was followed by interaction from faculty where

the faculty members were interested in learning about how to distinguish students who

were second language learners and students who suffered a LD. The faculty was very
interested in understanding the various types to disabilities as they come across students

who have issues with reading, writing, math or coordination. The time taken was 1 hour.

Outcome: The faculty members were very interested in understanding the

different types of LD as many of them started to relate the differences to their students in

class. After the completion of this session the faculty members could begin to make

associations with the different types of difficulties and have a broad understanding of the

meaning of LD.

2. Legislations, knowledge of procedures and service coordination.

Objectives: Create knowledge and awareness on legislations and service

provision in the colleges. To train faculty members to have a better understanding of

special needs in higher education and the legislations, policies and procedures that the

colleges developed to address students having LD in higher education. This session

stresses on the knowledge and awareness of faculty members in dealing with students

having LD, whom to contact and procedures to follow in the mentoring process.

Procedure: This session started with an ice breaking power point slide which had

all the famous personalities diagnosed with some form of LD. The faculty members were

asked to identify the faces displayed as they all had something in common. Introduction

to special needs services in the colleges was provided and the legislations regarding the

rights of students having disabilities was discussed. The same session also discussed in

great detail the service coordination and the procedures that the colleges followed with

regard to students with LD.

Time taken: The above activity was followed by interaction from faculty where

the faculty members requested more clarity on the procedures that the college follows in
working with students having LD. The time taken was 30 minutes. The faculty members

were asked to meet their respective college counselors to discuss in further detail if they

had specific doubts on the service coordination in their respective campuses.

Outcome: As observed by the researcher the faculty members were shocked to see

the number of famous personalities which had some form of LD. They were very

interested in understanding the procedures that was followed in their respective campuses

in dealing with students having LD. A flow chart explaining the service coordination in

the colleges was explained in detail. This information was directed to help faculty

understand the legislations, policies and procedures that the faculty should be aware off.

Legal Mandates such as the UN Convention on the rights of individuals with

disabilities, the UAE Federal Law 29/2006 and the Special Needs Policy (LP213) that

was developed by the federal colleges was discussed by the specialist. College procedures

and service coordination in the colleges relating to services for students with LD, the

procedures to follow during college exams and system wide exams and the role of faculty

in the process was discussed in detail.

3. How to identify LD.

After learning about the definitions, various types of LD and how LD can affect

students while pursuing higher education, the faculty were trained on how to identify LD.

Objectives: The aim of the session was to identify learning difficulties in

classroom and out of classrooms by providing a clear understanding of the characteristics

and signs of LD in the context of higher education. This session will help bridge the gap

between theory and practice as the faculty members will be able to identify students

having different learning needs. The following activity was carried out to help faculty
members brain storm the different characteristics and challenges which students have

with respect to learning.

Activity: Brainstorming characteristic features of students who have learning

difficulties.

Procedure: The faculty members were asked to write down any 5 characteristic

features they have encountered in students in classrooms. The faculty members were

given 10 minutes to jot down 5 or more characteristics in a few words or phrases that best

describe the challenges students face. When they finished they were prompted to share

what they wrote sometimes giving examples. As they shared the characteristics were

jotted on the flip chart by the specialist.

At the end of the exercise the specialist discusses how most of the points that the

faculty discussed happened to be the characteristic features of LD. The specialist then

moved on to explaining how faculty can play an important part in the student’s learning

experience as they are the first persons to be in contact and identify a students learning

need. After completion of this activity the faculty members started to get more involved

in the session that addressed the various characteristics of students having LD.

Time taken: The group activity lasted for 1 hour. The discussions between

specialist and faculty members were held in the session that addressed the signs and

characteristics of having LD.

Outcome: The faculty was eager to read out their responses, providing

clarifications where ever necessary. The exercise with faculty appealed very much to

them as they reflected how they could relate to challenges that students faced in their

classes.
4. Characteristics of LD.

The faculties were next trained on understanding the characteristics of LD.

Objectives: Create an understanding of the characteristics of LD, the various

challenges that students with LD face and how it affects them in higher education.

Procedure: This session focuses on the various characteristic features that help

faculty members to identify students with LD in classes. The specialist developed a rich

module comprising of an exhaustive list of problems that can be noted in one or more

areas of the a) Cognitive Processing b) Executive Functioning c) Academic

Achievement d) Technology Skills e) Social Skills.

The specialist explained how a LD affects students in a postsecondary setting. At

the end of the session the specialist highlights the importance of faculty understanding the

characteristic features of LD, as faculty are seen as the first point of contact for a

student’s success in higher education.

Time taken: The above session was a very intensive session loaded with

information on signs and symptoms that students can project when they have a LD. The

faculty was very keen on understanding the characteristics in detail as they did have

students in their classrooms who are struggling to cope with the academics. The time

taken for this session was 1 hour including the time taken for the activity.

Outcome: The faculty members were very interested in understanding some of the

symptoms especially those which they could relate with the students and wanted to know

if there were specific checklists that they can administer to learn more in order to provide

appropriate support. Upon the completion of this session the faculty members had clearly

learnt the characteristics to identify LD among students in higher education.

 The following activity was also conducted as a part of this session

Activity: A group activity aimed at helping the faculty identify the handwriting

and spelling characteristic features of students with LD was conducted as a part of the

training program.

Procedure: The faculty members were asked to identify the characteristics from

the sample 1 of the handwriting projected to them. It was a writing of picture

comprehension of a student having dysgraphia (writing difficulty). The time allotted to

look at the picture and the writing sample was 5 minutes and 15 minutes to discuss. The

faculty members discussed with the specialist various writing difficulties like poor

penmanship, spelling mistakes, punctuations, difficulty in comprehending, completing

written assignments, trouble with spacing, poorly formed letters, incorrect use of

capitalization etc. Similarly, sample - 2 of a spelling test was projected to the participant

faculty members. The time allotted to look at the spelling sample was 5 minutes and 10

minutes was provided to discuss the sample. The faculty members were prompted to

discuss the difficulties that the student would have had in giving the test which included,

wrong spellings, reversal of page, poor and illegible handwriting and having most of the

spelling wrong in the test.

At the end of the exercise the specialist urged the faculty members to share

samples of writings of students which they encountered in class having similar

difficulties. These samples provided faculty with a deeper understanding of the various

difficulties students can have.

Time taken: The group activity lasted for 30 minutes. The discussions between

specialist and faculty members were held in the session that addressed the signs and red

flags of LD, particularly writing difficulty.

 Outcome: The faculty members were very interested in understanding the

characteristics through the samples and were willing to share some of the samples of their

students for discussion. This exercise helped faculty look into the hand writings of their

student to spot learning difficulties.

5. Knowledge of resources.

After the faculty were trained on the teaching strategies they were next provided

information about the resources available at the colleges to support the students with LD.

Objectives: Create an understanding of the available resources on the campus for

the students and encourage faculty and students utilize these resources available at the

college.

Procedure: This session focused on the various resources that were available on

the campus for the students having LD which included the assistive technology resource

center, special needs library, workshops and professional development sessions for

faculty and students, separate room for invigilation, student services support and support

from community organizations. These resources varied from campus to campus and

hence the specialist addressed only the resources that were available in the respective

campuses.

Time taken: The time taken for this session was 30 minutes.

Outcome: This was a very important session for the faculty members for them to

have a good understanding of the available resources. Upon the completion of this session

all the faculty members had clearly learnt the resources that were available on campus.
6. Teaching strategies.

After learning how to identify students with LD, the faculty were next trained on

the teaching strategies that can be adopted by the faculty while dealing with the students

having LD.

Procedure: This session focuses on the various teaching strategies to teach

students having dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia.

The topics that were covered during this session comprised of the following:

 Support during lectures

 Examination and assignments

 Study accommodations

 Assistive technology

The specialist explained the importance of incorporating learning for students with

different learning styles. At the end of the session the specialist highlights the importance

of faculty understanding of the various teaching strategies for improving reading, writing

and mathematics.

Time taken: The above session was a very intensive session loaded with

information on various teaching strategies to teach students having LD. The faculty was

very much interested in understanding how a particular strategy can impact students

having LD especially to improve reading and writing. The time taken for this session was

1 hour including the activity listed below.

Outcome: The faculty members learnt that different styles can be incorporated

into teaching. The faculty showed a lot of interest in adopting the various forms of

support that they can offer through teaching such as use of different colors while writing

on the board, highlight the key words, provide an outline of the lecture, summarize the

key points of the lecture, provide extended time to complete assignments and projects,
separate invigilation, assistive technology such as reader software, word prediction

software and tape recorders to record lectures. Upon the completion of this session the

faculty members noted all the support they can provide to students having learning

difficulties in their class.

Activity: As a part of this session a group activity was conducted for the faculty

aimed at improving their understanding of the different teaching strategies that can be

used while teaching students with LD.

Procedure: The faculty members were put in groups of ten. A passage was

provided to each group. One faculty member was asked to be the teacher, one faculty

member was an observer, one became a student who was the dyslexic learner and the rest

of the faculty members would help in provide appropriate strategies to teach the student.

The time allotted for the exercise was 15 minutes to discuss the best teaching strategy.

At the end of the exercise the specialist urged the faculty members to share the

exercise by letting the teacher discuss their experiences. The observers had to relate the

experience of the group while preparing the lesson and teaching the student and the

experience of the student having dyslexia.

Time taken: The group activity lasted for 20 minutes. The discussions between

specialist and faculty members were held in the session that addressed the various

teaching strategies for students having LD.

Outcome: The faculty members were very interested in understanding the various

teaching strategies and most of them were discussed during the activity. This exercise

helped faculty look into the various teaching techniques that faculty members can try

during their teaching sessions.

DAY-2: Outline of the willingness dimension of the LD training

The first session of day 2 of the training program was aimed at improving the

faculty willingness to provide accommodations

1. Willingness to provide accommodations.

Accommodations are academic adjustments or auxiliary aides and services which

help a student with impairments in overcoming the barrier imposed by the condition or

the environment. The faculty members are primary mentors of students having LD and

can provide reasonable accommodations. Accommodations are the services that faculty

provide to students to support them in their academic pursuits.

Objectives: The main aim of this session is to train faculty on the various

accommodations that they can provide to students having LD and to ensure that the

faculty have a thorough knowledge about the various ways they can support students

academically to help students succeed.

Procedure: In this session the ‘Handbook on Accommodations’ for students with

special needs which is a very comprehensive handbook explaining in detail the various

special support that they can provide as mentors was discussed in detail. Along with the

same a document that enlisted the different forms of LD along with the alternate forms in

which the student can be taught was explained to the faculty. A video on a student having

LD who has succeeded through mentoring and support provided by a faculty member was

played for faculty members.

Activity: The following activity was conducted for the faculty aimed at improving

their willingness to provide accommodations to students with LD.

 The faculty members were asked to go over the ‘Willingness to Provide

Accommodations’ scale by (Lewis, 1998; Matthews et al., 1987; Nelson et al., 1990) and

see if they were willing to provide the accommodations that were enlisted in the scale.

Willingness to provide Accommodations scale

No Accommodation

1 Allow student to tape record classroom lectures.

2 Provide copies of instructor’s lecture notes after they attend lectures.

3 Extend deadlines for completion of class projects, papers etc.

4 Allow student to complete alternative assignments.

5 Allow student to do extra credit assignments when this option is not available to

others.

6 Provide student with a syllabus before the term begins to give ample time to

complete reading and writing assignments when this option is not available to

other students.

7 Allow student to give oral presentations or tape-recorded assignments rather than

complete written projects.

8 Allow student to take alternative form of examination (example computer scored

answer sheets or multiple-choice tests instead of essay tests or vice versa).

9 Allow a proctor to rephrase test questions that are not clear to students (example a

double negative may need to be clarified).

10 Allow student extra time to complete class tests.

11 Allow student to dictate answers to a scribe.

12 Allow student to respond orally to essay questions.

 13 Analyze the process as well as the product (giving partial credit if the correct

mathematical computation was used although the final answer was wrong) when

this option is not available to others.

14 Allow student to use basic calculator during the test.

15 Allow misspelling, incorrect punctuation, and poor grammar on tests without

penalizing the student.

16 Allow use of proofreaders to assist in correction of grammar and punctuation in

student’s first draft of written assignment.

17 Allow use of proofreaders to assist in reconstruction of student’s first draft of a

written assignment.

18 Allow use of proofreaders to assist the student in substitution of higher level

vocabulary for original wording.

Time Taken: The time taken for this topic was 1 hr.30min, including the time

taken for the activity.

Outcome: The faculty members welcomed the reference handbook on

accommodations that was provided to them. This handbook will serve as a guide to

understanding the provision of appropriate support that can be provided to students

having LD. The faculty members showed willingness to use the handbook and liked

sharing the handbook with their other colleagues in the college.

2. Willingness to undertake training

In the next session the faculty were trained to improve their willingness to

undertake training related to LD.

Objectives: The success of the training will reflect on the willingness of the

faculty members to feel the need to be trained on teaching and dealing with students

having LD. Thus the main objective of this session is to help enhance the willingness of

the faculty to request for and believe in the importance of professional training in dealing

with students having different learning needs.

Procedure: As teachers are the most influential in playing valuable roles as

mentors it is very important to understand their attitude towards professional development

opportunities and encouraging the need to training in the field of special needs and LD. In

this session the faculty members were provided with information on the importance of

professional development and need for developing the skills and knowledge to willingly

support students with different learning needs so that they can work collaboratively with

other stake holders to ensure student success.

Two group activities were conducted as a part of this training session

Activity 1: The following list was provided to the faculty to explain why this

training is essential. The faculty were asked to review the list and reflect on three most

important reasons why professional development was necessary in the field of LD.

1. To help students willingly to achieve their educational pursuits.

2. To boost the self-esteem of students.

3. Teach students self-advocacy skills.

4. Prepare faculty to participate in collaborative discussions and work as a team for

providing appropriate support.

5. Current faculty models do not appear to provide training in LD.

6. Increased knowledge about LD improves their attitudes to teach students with LD.

7. Professional development will help faculty to improve their interaction towards

students with LD.

8. Professional development will help faculty understand why students with learning

difficulties behave in a particular way and help faculty address challenging behaviors.

9. Professional development sessions help faculty build their relationships with students

having LD rather than having negative stereotypes about them.

10. Faculty through training overcome their cognitive thoughts and feelings of

vulnerability, fear of having a disability, coping with a disability etc.

11. Professional development in LD will empower faculty to advocate for students having

learning difficulties.

12. If students having LD have to be successful, the faculty has to be trained to mentor.

13. To provide an introspective look at one’s own attitude.

14. Professional development in LD also offers collegial and professional growth.

Time taken: This session was necessary to highlight the importance of

professional development of faculty in LD. The time allotted was thirty minutes.

Outcomes: Getting involved in this session and reviewing the need for training

helped the faculty to gain a lot of perspective about the need for training and professional

development.

Activity 2:The following list was provided to the faculty to explain why this

training is essential. The faculty were asked to review the list and reflect on three most

important reasons why professional development was necessary in the field of LD.

1. What would be the type of training you would like to attend?

 2. Would you like to train other faculty on working with students havingLD?

3. What would be the resources and support you will need?

Time taken: This activity was necessary to allow the faculty to feel the need for

professional training in learning difficulties to work with the learning needs of the

students. The time allotted was 30 minutes.

Outcomes: This activity helped faculty to self-introspect on the need for training

and professional development.

3. Willingness to advocate for students with LD

The next session focused on improving the faculty awareness regarding

advocating for students with LD.

Objectives: To create awareness among faculty regarding advocating for students

with learning difficulties and taking appropriate action.

Procedure: This segment of the training module emphasized on the motivation of

the teacher to advocate for the rights and services of the students having LD. A brief

introduction to advocacy was shared by the specialist and a message to involve in

advocating for the students having learning difficulties in college. The following activity

was conducted as a part of this training session.

Activity: The faculty were asked to choose one student who is in need of help and

plan all the support the faculty can give, to get the student where you want him/her to be

and where you think the student can get.

Time taken: The time taken for this activity is 30 minutes to make an advocacy

plan for the student.

Outcomes: The specialist made the teachers aware that advocacy is an effective

training strategy while dealing with students who have learning difficulties. An invisible
disability such as learning difficulties makes it very difficult for the students to self-

advocate and hence in this training program the faculty members are training on the

importance of advocating for the students.

4. Faculty preparedness.

The next session focused on improving the faculty preparedness to support

students with LD.

Objectives: Enabling faculty to understand the need to prepare themselves to

support students in providing appropriate accommodations, look for students who are at

risk and work with them and work on the strengths of these students.

Procedure: Faculty members were provided with information on the need to

develop their skills necessary to work with students having LD. Two activities were

conducted as a part of this session.

Activity 1: The faculty were instructed to read the passage given below, silently

and answer the questions at the bottom of the page.

“Wants pawn term, dare worsted ladle gull hoe lift wetter murder inner ladle

cordage honor itch offer lodge, dock florist. Disk ladle gull orphan worry ladle cluck,

wetter putty ladle rat hut, end fur disk raisin pimple colder Ladle Rat Rotten Hut.

Wan moaning Rat Rotten Hut’s murder colder inset. Ladle Rat Rotten Hut, heresy

ladle basking winsome burden barter and shirker cockles. Tick disk ladle basking tudor

cordage offer groin murder, hoe lifts honor udder site offer florist. Shaker lake, don

stopper laundry wrote, end yonder nor sorghum stenches don stopper torque wet

strainers.

Hoe lift wetter murder inner florist?

Hoe gut dot ladle basking?”

 Translation

Once upon a time, there was this little girl who lived with her mother in a little

cottage on the edge of a large, dark forest. This little girl often wore a little cloak, with a

pretty little red hat, and for this reason people called her Little Red Riding Hood.

One morning Red Riding Hood’s mother called her inside. Little Red Riding

Hood, here is a little basket with some bread and butter and sugar cookies. Take this little

basket to the cottage of your grandmother, who lives on the other side of the forest. Shake

a leg, don’t stop along the road and under no circumstances, stop to talk with strangers.

Who lived with her mother in the forest?

Who got that little basket?

(Adapted from Anguish Language by Howard Chace. Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Englewood Cliffs, N.J. 1956.)

This simulation is designed to illustrate how a student with LD might feel when

trying to read a passage. You can read all the words (just like many students with LD can

read the words) but you have difficulty discerning the meaning of the passage. Students

with LD often feel frustrated and discouraged when they see their classmates easily

comprehending a textbook chapter, when they spend hours reading and rereading,

struggling with what comes easily to other people.

Often students with LD have difficulty comprehending print but do very well if

they can hear the same material. This simulation also illustrates why books on tape and

computer screen readers are so helpful to many students with LD. You can help by

selecting all course materials well before the course begins, so that if needed, the office

for student’s services will have ample time to make recordings. Also, in your class, if you

use power point slides, it is very helpful to mention each point orally.
 Time taken: The time allotted for this activity was 30 minutes.

Outcomes: This session helped faculty members to understand the issues students

having LD such as reading can have especially when they are asked to read a passage.

After having to go through this activity, the faculty members were enlightened on the

troubles students can face and how they can identify these students and help them.

Activity 2: A Self Evaluation Audit tool was provided to the faculty members to

help them prepare for a LD friendly classroom. The items in the tool were under the

following heads.

1. Text resources available in the classroom/study room/lecture theatre

2. Room arrangements

3. Affective aspects

4. Room interactions

5. General dyslexia-friendly teaching and learning

Time taken: The time allotted for this activity was 30 minutes.

Outcomes: The significance of the exercise was the learning process which

emphasized on the aspects of preparation. For the faculty to be prepared in meeting the

needs of students having LD it was essential to learn how to be prepared in terms of

knowledge, skills and attitude.

5. Checklists

During the final session the faculty were provided with checklists that would help

the faculty in supporting students with LD.

Objectives: An important aspect of the training program was helping faculty

improve their willingness to provide accommodation, support and to advocate for

students having LD.

 Procedure: In this session the specialist discussed the checklists that will help

faculty identify learning issues in students and help provide relevant support in

mainstream classes. The following checklists were discussed;

a. Handwriting Evaluation Scale

b. Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Teacher Rating Scale (ADTRS)

c. Dyslexia Checklist

d. Scotopic Sensitivity Checklist

e. Challenging Behavior Checklist

Time taken: The time taken for this session was 1 hour.

Outcome: This was a very important session for the faculty members and the

outcome was very positive. The faculties were very interesting in using the checklists on

the students. The checklists also served as red flags to identify students at risk. The

specialist also provided the faculty with information that will help them use the

checklists.

DAY -3 Outline of the attitude dimension of the psychological skills training

Day 3 and day 4 were focused on the psychological skills training. The first

session of this module started with training the faculty on their attitudes

Attitudes are often defined in terms of mood, thought processes, behavioral

tendencies and evaluation (Hernandez et al, 2000).

Researchers suggest that there are several different components that make up

attitudes.

1. An Emotional Component: How the object, person, issue or event makes you feel.

2. A Cognitive Component: Your thoughts and beliefs about the subject.

3. A Behavioral Component: How the attitude influences your behavior.

1. General beliefs and attitudes

The first session of the psychological skills training started with training focused

on promoting teacher success through positive attitudes.

Objectives: This module of training was focused on fostering teacher success

through positive attitudes. This dimension on positive attitudes of faculty members was

designed to empower the faculty with psychological input to improve their general beliefs

and attitudes towards students having LD.

By completing the session, the faculty will be able:

 To have an understanding of positive and negative attitudes

 To have a more positive attitude towards students having LD

Procedure: In this session the specialist started the training with a video of Nick

Vujicic of 15 minutes which focused on having a positive attitude in life. Nick has no

arms or legs and is a motivational speaker. In this video he stresses the importance of

having a good attitude to life, be thankful for what life has given you and make the best

you can.

After the faculty watched the video by motivational speaker Nick Vujicic, a

presentation was made to the faculty on positive attitudes and its impact based on the

presentation titled “Attitude is Altitude” created by Nick Vujicic.

The core idea of the talk threw light into the two most important words which are

“Beliefs and Attitudes” which gives idea of how, what one thinks about one’s self which

can in turn affect how one feels.

Activity: The following activity was conducted as a part of this session. The

faculty was asked to answer the following questions;

 Q1: Are you in support of teaching students with LD?

Q2: What are some of the things that can affect your attitude towards them?

The faculty were asked to reflect on the resources available, the internal and external

influences like, managerial support, family, time, curriculum, environment, cultural

sensitivity which are in favor of supporting students with LDand list them in the “In

Control” column. Aspects that they not in control off for instance - difference in

educational backgrounds, lack of contact, preparation time, no training, complexity of the

condition, extent to which they can provide accommodations and the other features that

are holding them from supporting students with LD were to be listed in “Not in Control”

column.

In Control Not in Control

Once the faculty finished writing their answers they were encouraged to share

what they have written in their activity sheets and it was discussed

Time Taken: The total time taken for this topic was 1 hr. 30 min.

Outcome: It was a great ice breaking session through which the faculty members

got introduced to what they believe and their attitudes towards students having LD. As

this session was aimed at developing reflection of faculty beliefs and attitudes, the video

of Nick Vujicic and the motivation talk coupled with the activity helped faculty develop

better attitudes and introspect their own perceptions about their students.
2. Importance of positive attitudes

In the next session the faculties were provided training on the importance of

positive attitudes.

Objectives: The objective of this session was to establish an understanding of the

various ways to have positive attitudes, the power of using positive words and the

importance of positive words.

Procedure: Three activities were carried out as a part of this session

Activity 1: In this session faculty members were put into two groups. A list of

positive words and negative words given below were displayed on the screen.

Positive Words Negative Words

Winner Loser
Love Hate
Pride Shame
Fair Unfair
Strength Weakness
Enable Disable
Allow Restrict
Able Unable
Unique Handicapped
Choice Forced
Possible Impossible
Include Exclude
Capable Crippled
Potential Confined
Support Condemn
Talent Deficit
Assist Impair
Determined Lazy
Empower Control
Enduring Suffering
Engage Disengage
Accept Reject
Befriend Ignore
Embrace Avoid
Care Bother
Help Dependent
 One group was asked to look at the positive words and the other group was asked

to look at the negative words. Then the positive group was asked to jot down as many

positive words and the negative group was asked to jot down as many negative words as

possible. They were given 15 minutes to jot down the words. Then the negative group

was asked to read each word one by one and the positive group was asked to give the

positive word for it. The time taken for this activity was 30 minutes.

Activity 2: Subsequent to the above activity a thirty minute module on the ten

positive attitudes was displayed with emphasis on each principle.

1. Positive thinking principle

2. Proactive principle

3. Appreciation principle

4. Small stuff principle

5. People principle

6. The self-esteem principle

7. Overwhelm principle

8. The flexibility principle

9. Response/ability principle

10. The self-awareness principle

As a take home activity faculty were asked to discuss with their families the

principles they used most at home and at work.

Activity 3: In the next activity the specialist started the discussion with the need to

have a positive attitude which is a key to success in many areas of life. Positive attitude

can significantly impact relationships, health, overall well-being and self-confidence. The

overall impact of a positive attitude is far reaching and undeniably an important factor in
maintaining meaningful relationships, good health, increasing your wellbeing, and lifting

self-confidence.

This talk was followed by a small group work where the faculties were divided

into groups of 5 were they were asked to discuss the following:

 Discuss one example of a situation with a student that may have

“challenged” your attitude and your reaction to it?

The time taken for this activity was 30 minutes.

Time Taken: The total time taken for this topic consisting of three activities was

one 1 hr. 30 min in total.

Outcome: This session helped faculty develop positive perceptions about their

competence in academic and nonacademic domains. The process then leads to a positive

attitude of self and towards others which is an overall evaluation of one’s self as well as

positive feelings towards students having LD.

3. Building positive attitudes

After training the faculty on the importance of positive attitudes, they were next

trained on how to build positive attitudes.

Objectives: The objective of this session was to enable the faculty boost their

attitudes, and a chance to sharpen their social, communication and empathetic skills

through mentoring, and in the process build skills necessary to help and possibly shape a

young students life in a positive way.

Procedure: Powerful thinking is positive, constructive, fearless, optimistic and

realistic. Since staying positive takes knowledge and training, the faculty were given a

brief up on the following concepts relating to building positive attitudes.

a) Recognize the unseen power of thoughts:

 b) Decide what you want

c) Identify negative thinking patterns

d) Monitor your thoughts

e) Control your inner dialogue

The faculty were then provided with tips on how they can have a positive impact

when dealing with students having LD as follows;

 A positive classroom climate can be created by using student’s name and knowing

something about each student.

 It is important to convince the students that you like them (even though you may not

always like the way they behave).

 Take time when you greet students at the door when they first arrive at the classroom.

Express an interest in their activities. Build up a store of positive comments to

individual students, so that if later you must deliver negative feedback, it is not the

first evaluation you have made of the student.

 Make eye contact with each student in the class, and pay attention to all quadrants of

the classroom.

 Don’t be afraid to look straight in their face.

 Move towards the students and stay close to the learners.

 Reinforce them with positive comments, and encourage desirable tasks etc.

 Providing wait time - Pausing to allow a student more time to answer instead of

moving on to another student when you don’t get an immediate response.

 Dignifying responses – giving credit for the correct aspects of an incorrect response.

 Restating the question – asking the question a second time

 Rephrasing the question- using different words that might increase the probability of a

correct response

 Providing guidance- giving enough hints and clues so that the student will eventually

determine the correct answer.

Time Taken: The total time taken for this topic was 1 hour.

Outcome: Faculty spent sufficient time to interact during discussion time, and did

introspect into their attitudes through the talks and exercises that were given. The attitude

dimension of the training program sought to provide avenues to help faculty introspect

into their core values.

4. Feeling Comfortable with students having LD.

The faculty were next trained on improving their level of comfort when dealing

with students having LD.

Objectives: To provide faculty with the opportunities to improve the level of

comfort in interacting with students having LD and apply them in everyday life.

Procedure: The faculty were given a brief up on social discomfort relating to

students having LD in classrooms and encouraging positive interactions through positive

attitudes. The core topics addressed in the classroom session included the following:

a) Contact with the student having LD

b) What if you lack knowledge on dealing with theLDin class

c) How to overcome feeling of discomfort

Some of the tips included on what can be done if one cannot stop staring at the

student who looks or behaves in an awkward manner, cannot stop being afraid of working

with a student or wanting to have brief contact with the student.

Two activities were conducted as a part of this session.

 Activity 1: This exercise was initiated to help faculty gain insights about the

positive and the negative ways in which students having disabilities view their teachers.

Negative Comments from Students on Teachers:

 Our lecturer did not let us take notes while we were listening. He would dictate

notes only in the last 10 minutes and is always in great hurry to finish his lecture.

 I always feel too embarrassed and shy to ask questions, because my teacher hardly

gives me eye contact or feels comfortable holding a conversation.

 “When my class mates would be taking turns to read passages one after another in

class, I would get very anxious as my turn was nearing. It would frustrate me even

more with my teacher’s comment “come on there is clearly no reason why you

can’t do this, as you are good at everything else”. I always knew that there was

more to it than my difficulty in reading.

 My English lecturer would ask me a question in class and before I could assimilate

my thoughts and answer she would move on to the next student thinking I do not

know the answer.

 My teacher would stare at my clumsiness and my behavior I was once told that I

was not fit to be in her class.

 The teacher would give my friend very hard spellings to practice and it was

impossible for her to accommodate her in the class. She would use her red pen

liberally without understanding her difficulty to write extensive comments. This

destroyed my friend’s esteem completely.

 Positive Comments from Students on Teachers:

 My teacher took great interest in me. She praised me liberally and encouraged me

every time I did something right.

 Oh my teacher guessed I had problems and was very comfortable approaching me

after class several times till I got comfortable with her. She dictates slowly in class

and repeats to ensure I had written everything.

 My Math teacher was excellent. He had a great sense of humor and treated each

and every one very respectfully.

 It was my English lecturer who identified that I genuinely had trouble reading and

writing and I was not just lazy or stupid. She was obviously not ignorant and

referred me for an assessment too where I was diagnosed of dyslexia.

Time Taken: The above activity was followed by a discussion where the positive

and negative statements were read aloud as well as individual perceptions on comfort

towards students with disabilities were discussed. The time taken was 30 minutes They

were also asked to jot down their experiences while doing this exercise.

Outcome: As observed by the specialist the faculty were very interested to know

about the range of feelings that faculty in the group had about the students. This exercise

was more of a reflective exercise in which the faculty spent considerable time self-

analyzing and engaging in abstract as well as concrete thinking on the level of comfort

and clear understanding of the best ways communicate with the students having LD. The

faculty were free to discuss their thoughts about their comfort levels.

Activity 2: The following exercise was presented on the screen and the faculty

were asked to read the words and then say the color and not the word.

Read the Words

BLUEPURPLEREDGREENYELLOW
 Subsequently they were asked to say the colors and not the words.

Say the color not the word

BLUEREDGREENYELLOWPURPLE

When the faculty were asked to read out loud the colors, they experienced a sense

of difficulty. The specialist addressed the discomfort that faculty felt. Similarly, faculty

may experience discomfort in dealing with students who have challenges and difficulties

in learning. Discomfort that can result in a condition of stress, staring at an awkward

behavior, not sure about how to react to a particular situation, afraid of looking at the face

or even making contact very brief and limited.

Time Taken: The duration of this activity was 30 minutes

Outcomes: This session enabled faculty to understand that discomfort can be

overcome by getting to learn more about learning difficulties which will directly help in

improving the attitudes and interaction towards them.

DAY - 4: Outline of the interaction dimension of the LD training

Day 4 started with a session focusing on building empathy.

Duan and Hill (1996) define empathy as;

1. Primarily an affective phenomenon, referring to the immediate experiences

of emotions of another person;

2. Primarily a cognitive construct, referring to the intellectual understanding

of another's experience or perspective-taking;

3. A combination of cognitive and emotional components; or

4. Either cognitive or affective depending on the situation.

1. Building empathy.

Objectives: Empathy being the significant aspect of experiencing the emotion of

another person sets the standard in bringing core ethical values and skills in dealing with

students having LD. As higher levels of empathy improve the level of interaction leading

to better mentoring, the following empathy building exercises were carried out.

Procedure: Faculty was given a brief up on the concepts relating to empathy and

this was followed by a group activity.

The faculty were trained on the following concepts relating to empathy;

1. What is empathy?

2. How to respond to others empathically using David Levine’s approach (2006) of

EEA Event Empathy Action (EEA a three-step advanced listening approach that teaches

faculty how to respond to students empathically. When something unfortunate,

disappointing, or sad (a family separation, doing poorly on a test, being embarrassed in

front of others) happens in another person's life, students ask themselves these open-

ended question about the person and event:

a. What happened? (Identify the event)

b How is that person feeling? (An understanding of the other person's

feelings leads to empathy)

c. What will I do? (Decide on a specific action to respond to the event) The

EEA method is presented to the group using empathic situations, which are

hypothetical scenarios to discuss in order to explore various empathic

responses.

“Think about the many words you know that express emotions. As the person is

speaking, keep thinking about what emotion they are expressing. Your goal is to accept
the person totally, not to judge them, but to try your best to understand them.” Empathy is

when there is an understanding of what happened in the situation, how the person feels

about it which can be expressed through the emotion the person expresses and as a

teacher you are able to help the student a particular way.

The following are some examples of words that express emotion:

Concerned Worried Disappointed Excited

Angry Jealous Surprised Worried
Afraid Tired Relieved Furious
Overwhelmed Confused Exhausted Happy
Frustrated Sad Reassured Nervous

Examples of statements and empathetic responses:

I don’t know what is happening………………You seem to feel confused.

I’m so tired of trying………………………….You sound discouraged.

Why can’t he change?……..………………….You sound frustrated.

In this session the faculty learnt more about an important counseling skill which is

Empathy and the importance of empathy in mentoring students with LD.

Time taken: The time taken for this session was 1 hour

After the faculty got familiar with the concept of empathy, the following

classroom exercise was carried out.

Activity: To become more aware that compassion involves understanding and

engaging in another person’s life, students view images of people and creatively interpret

what they see. This exercise used to observe how closely and accurately the faculty were

able to interpret facial expressions even if the images were ambiguous. The aim was to
elicit empathic responses from them and discuss these responses at the end of the

exercise.

Materials Required: Photos cut from magazines (all headlines, captions, and

associated articles describing the scene are removed).

Procedure: Faculty members are given a few magazines and newspapers and

instructed to cut photos that provoke an emotional response, featuring at least one person.

They are asked to choose images in which the emotions of the person are not overt

(screaming, crying, laughing, etc.) and their mood or situation is ambiguous. The pictures

are then put in a box on the specialist’s table. Each faculty is asked to pick a photo from

the box and wait for the instructions.

The following instructions are then given to the faculty;

“There is an old saying: "A picture is worth a thousand words." We're going to

look at a picture and describe it in a thousand words. But before we do, we need to ask

how to feel compassion for another person and why it's important.” Pointing out to them

–“that part of caring involves empathy — seeing another’s perspective and feeling what

he or she is going through. Our purpose is to look at the people in the photo with

compassionate eyes. Imagine their lives, thoughts, dreams, fears. Invent a story for them”.

The faculty are then asked to start writing about the picture they have randomly

picked. At the end of the exercise faculty shared their stories about the pictures.

Time taken: The time taken for this activity was 30 minutes.

Outcome: Faculty spent sufficient time to make their stories. During discussion

time, faculty could identify the number of empathic responses they included and those

responses that were not.

2. Vulnerability or fear of disability.

After receiving training on building empathy and its application the faculty were

next trained on how to overcome their fears in having to deal with student having LD.

Objectives: To gain insight into one’s emotions and examine the various aspects

to overcoming fears about having or dealing with LD in college contexts.

Procedure: The faculty were provided with the following information to help

them understand redesigning strength by addressing their fears which can be tackled

efficiently through the tips explained.

What is Fear? What are faculty often afraid of working with students having

learning difficulties? How can body language indicate fear? How knowledge on dealing

with students having learning difficulties help improve interaction between faculty and

students having LD?

Redesigning yourself for Strength: Body Language

Positives

• Open body language

• Sweeping gestures

• Palms up

• Leaning forward

• Natural, smooth hand gestures

Negatives

• Tapping your fingers or feet

• Arms crossed

• Glancing at watch

• Leaning back

• Tense body
 Working things out – The specialist discussed the ways faculty can overcome fears

about having a similar difficulty.

• Worrying about the student having learning issues need not be an easy experience

which could be a natural reaction.

• Accept that you don’t have to feel this way going forward.

• Survivor’s guilt is common.

• Reach out to your colleagues, friends and family to discuss about it and overcome.

• If necessary, find the right professional to help with the situation.

Discussion: “Fears are relative events that keep changing with the context. It is

essential to understand the nature of fears in order to regulate it and have better control

instead of reacting impulsively.” Keeping the above statement as a discussion point,

faculty were asked to share their experiences when they have felt fears about disability or

handling students with difficulties in colleges.

Time Taken: The time taken for this activity was 1 hour.

Outcome: While most faculty members were comfortable discussing their fears,

few faculties did not have much to share. This exercise served to look at fears from a

different perspectives and also learning that fears can be modified by improving one’s

beliefs and attitudes toward something.

3. Perceived level of information.

The faculty next, received training on their perceived level of information.

Objective: The main objective of this session was to make the faculty members

aware about how each person’s perception of students with LD differs depending on their

experiences and levels of training.

 Procedure:

The following picture was provided to the faculty and they were questioned on

what they perceived first.

After the faculty discussed how they viewed the picture the specialist explained

how people perceive things differently by identifying only the old man or by identifying

only the young women or identifying both. Similarly faculty can undergo feelings of

frustration and dreaded thought about disability and how that can affect their interaction

with students having LD. They should be perceived as those having their own strengths

which need to be tapped and this can be done only by faculty members.

Time taken: The activity led to a discussion on how fears, feelings of frustration,

ignorance about LD and dreaded thoughts of having a disability can influence the

interaction towards students with LD. The time taken for the session on was 30 minutes.
 Outcomes: Following the briefing on the perceived level of information of

faculty, it was discussed and concluded that the special abilities that students with LD can

have may not be recognized if faculty interaction was less. The highlights of the

discussion as briefed to the faculty are as follows:

1. Students with LD are talented, having their own special abilities

2. Listen to student’s needs or concerns

3. Engage student in conversation if invited by student

4. Invite student to meet with you if you have concerns about performance,

attendance, etc.

5. Be aware of campus resources- Disability Services, Counseling Center, Assistive

Technology Center.

6. Provide modifications where appropriate.

4. Coping.

The faculty next were next trained on coping, when dealing with students having LD.

Objectives: To help students develop positive ways to assist and interact with

students having LD without having feelings of hurt or guilt when they are not in a

position to help. The process then leads to an overall evaluation of their own ability to

positively support students in their educational pursuits

The aim was to elicit responses that will reflect upon their feelings towards

students who struggle to learn at the end of the exercises

The following activity was carried out as a part of this session

Activity: The faculty were given a talk on appreciating the ability and strengths of

students irrespective of their challenges in learning. This was a session of self-

introspection on how faculty can take a glimpse at their levels of coping when

encountered with a student having a disability.

The faculty were then asked to answer the following question that was displayed

on the screen.

 Do you think you could say or do something that would make students with LD

more comfortable interacting with you?

 Give an example

Time taken: Time taken for this session was 1 hour.

Outcome: Faculty spent sufficient time to self- reflect and jot down their

responses. The discussion involved those who were willing to share their examples and

feelings. During discussion time, faculty could identify the number of responses they

revealed positive feelings about themselves and about students.

5. Conclusion.

Objectives: Enabling faculty to have access to more information and open up to

self-evaluation and allowing them to be self- constructive in assessing their own impact

post training.

Procedure: This part of session comprised of the power point presentations on

LD, attitudes, new research and statistics, a video on perceptions and examples of first

people language. The following activity was also carried out as a part of this session.

Activity: The faculty members were asked to complete the below exercise as a

result of the training.

 One specific way in which my attitude has changed towards students with LD is

 One specific thing I will do to support students with LD is:

 The trainer summarized the training providing information on LD as well as

psychological aspects for a holistic approach in the training module.

Time Taken: The time taken for this session was 1hour.

Outcome: The final presentations were successfully carried out as a flow of

activities. Discussions on the training program, its impact on faculty and the lessons

learned were discussed in detail.

Conclusion.

To provide mentorship to students having LD the faculty need to improve their

knowledge and nurture good attitudes, by applying principles such as positive attitudes,

beliefs, practices, willingness, empathy, responsibility, and equality of opportunities.

Through repeated experiences and training programs faculty can mentor students having

LD in higher education through psychological and student support services.